Chapter 8
"Where is my money?" Bryan said coming straight to the point.
"Ready to be transferred..." Nate replied. "I just need to make sure that you will not reinstate that hit once we have finished with the transaction."
"Are you doubting my word…?"
"Oh no…no of course not…but I like to be…sure of things, especially when it comes to me staying alive."
"Well you only have my word. Now if that is not good enough for you perhaps I'll just…" He nodded and his men all drew their guns. "End this now..."
Eliot tensed but made no move. Trying anything would only get him and Nate killed, Bryan's men had them well covered. He stood and waited for Nate to make the next move hoping that the man had a plan for this too.
"Well hold on now…" Nate said softly. "No need to get over excited. I just need to know I am going to get what I am paying for.
"You are not paying for anything Ford. The money is mine. Now I am getting impatient, make the transfer."
"I don't think so." Nate said smiling at the man. "You know running a scam on sick and dying children…now that just isn't very nice."
"Nate what the hell are you doing…?" Eliot said out of the side of his mouth.
"What do you think Le Bronc will think about your side job with your step brother…" Nate continued ignoring the Hitter. "A job he knew nothing about? A very lucrative job at that…"
"What makes you think he doesn't know?" Bryan said but Nate could hear in his tone that he had hit a nerve. He also knew the man was close to breaking. He needed the man to concentrate his rage on him and forget about Eliot so that when things started to happen, Eliot would have the time he needed to do what he had to in order to keep himself alive. Nate knew before they came here that Bryan wanted him dead and no amount of money was going to change that. He figured if he could control the environment then he would be the only casualty and that was his plan, plain and simple.
"A guess…" Nate said honestly. "But one you just confirmed. Now if you cannot offer me some form of comfort that you will not try to have me killed again maybe I should go and tell your boss about your little side job…I'm sure he is a reasonable guy and if I offer him the money…well he would be most grateful and maybe he would even through in getting rid of you too boot…"
Eliot held his breath. What the hell was Nate doing…he was asking for trouble. Eliot could see the anger flash in Bryan's eye and tensed ready for action.
"So shall we deal…?" Nate asked. "Or are you as stupid as your brother…"
"I think I'll just kill you now." Bryan said raising his gun and pulling the trigger catching everybody unaware.
He had pulled the trigger three times before Eliot was on him. The third one was thrown off target but still found its mark.
"Nate…" Sophie screamed out as a horrified trio watched Nate get thrown backward with the force of the bullets that struck him. Parker scrambled to the front of the van slamming her foot down on the accelerator.
Sterling's men appeared from their concealed places and for a few minutes it was pure mayhem. Eliot could hear Sophie screaming out Nate's name and telling him they were coming for him. Within a few minutes though it was over, Bryan lay unconscious on the ground and the three men he brought with him were in custody. Eliot turned towards the Mastermind who was lying face down on the ground. Just as he ran towards him the van pulled up with Sophie jumping out before it had come to a stop stumbling forward and reaching Nate seconds after Eliot dropped to his knees beside the man.
"Nate…" Eliot called softly as he rolled him gently over. He looked down at the man and saw the three bullet holes in his chest. He ran his eyes over the rest of the Mastermind and noted the slight trickle of blood from Nate's head where the third bullet had grazed him after Eliot had thrown the bullet off course. There did not appear to be any other damage to him but he was unconscious.
"Eliot…" Sophie said her eyes fixed on the two holes in Nate's chest.
"It's ok Sophie…" Eliot said ripping open Nate's shirt to reveal the bullet proof vest he had forced the man to wear before they left for the meeting. "He's going to be a bit sore and bruised but otherwise alright. He took a graze to the head though…let's get him in the van and back home."
Eliot lifted Nate up and carried the unconscious man to the van laying him out in the back. Sophie climbed in and sat beside him resting his head on her lap. Eliot instructed Hardison to get Nate back to the brewery, he thought it would be better than taking him back to the house, they could definitely protect him better there and until he was absolutely sure there was no more danger for Nate he was going to act as if there still was. Eliot watched as they left then turned back to his car which Nate and him had taken to get to the meet. Sterling met him at the car.
"He alright…?" Sterling asked.
"Fine…a graze to the head but that's all."
"Good thing he was wearing that vest."
"Yeah…"
"You know Eliot one day he is going to do something that not even you can't save him from." Sterling said looking at the Hitter earnestly.
"I hope not…" Eliot said climbing into the car and speeding off after the van. Sterling watched him go and shook his head ruefully before turning back to the scene and barked his orders to his men.
Eliot had caught up to the van before they reached the back of the brewery and was there to get the Mastermind inside and installed in one of the crash pads that Hardison had set up. Once there he did another once over on the man checking that he had not received any further damage and cleaned the wound on his head. It was not even deep enough to need stitches and he was sure that Nate would wake up soon enough. Sophie stood watching as Eliot worked on Nate.
"You knew he was going to do that didn't you?" She asked.
"No…" Eliot said looking up at the Grifter. "But he's Nate and if he thought that taking the hit would save us…"
"He would do it in the blink of an eye." Sophie finished for him. "Thank you Eliot…if you hadn't…he…"
"Hey…hey it's ok Sophie…" Eliot said as he saw tears gather in her eyes. "He's going to be fine."
"Is he?" Sophie sniffed.
"Sophie I don't know what is going to happen from here. I don't know for how long he is still going to suffer from…the episodes. But however long it is we will be here for him, all of us and we will get him through it."
"Can we? Can we get him through it? Eliot, you were there and you know he…he wanted Bryan to shoot him. He goaded him into it…"
"He had the vest on." Eliot reminded her. "The plan was…"
"The plan was to get the man to confess to things so that Sterling could arrest him…Nate didn't even try to get him to do that, he goaded him into shooting him and you know it." Sophie said.
"Sophie if he wanted that why did he agree to the vest?"
"You had to force him right…? And besides if it had been you would you have shot him in the chest?"
"Sophie…"
"No Eliot, if he had aimed for the head and not the chest Nate would be dead. If you had not insisted on that vest… Maybe…maybe that's…that's what he…" Sophie's words stumbled to a halt as he tried to get her words out.
"Sophie…" Eliot repeated again. He had thought the exact same thing though. Could it be possible that Nate was looking for death, a way out from the hell he found himself in at the moment?
"Eliot he can't live with reliving Sam's…It's killing him and he isn't talking about it, the last while he isn't even acknowledging when it happens… and he…he would never…" Sophie sniffed again. Eliot understood what she was saying. Nate would never take his own life, so maybe he had hoped that Bryan would do it for him. "I'm losing him Eliot, we're losing him…he's drinking, he's shutting down…" Sophie said softly. "He's breaking…"
"He knows it's not forever Sophie…" Eliot said pulling the woman into a hug.
"Yes…but take the worst thing that ever happened to you Eliot, something you never want to relive and imagine what it would be like when it came at you without warning…something you have to go through over and over…how long is too long?"
"We will get him though this Sophie. We will…" Eliot said softly.
Sophie nodded and stepped away from Eliot wiping her eyes. She stepped up to the bed and ran her hand over Nate's forehead and gently through his hair. They had overcome one threat but the greater one, the one that could cost them the most, that one was very real and it was something none of them knew how to fight.
"Well I guess he will be out for a while though, that was a nasty hit to the head." Eliot said looking down at the Mastermind. "Let's go get something to drink…" He said placing his hand on Sophie's shoulder. "I think we could both use one."
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the great reviews.
